Recent developments have lead to a vehicle door that is provided with various types of systems for enhancing convenience for opening/closing the vehicle door, such as an electrically driven door locking system (e.g., an E-latch system) and a wireless remote controlled door locking system (e.g., a smart entry system). An outside door handle apparatus of each type of system is provided with a handle portion that is attached at an outer portion of the vehicle door and houses various types of electrical parts. Various methods have been employed in order to electrically connect these electrical parts housed in the handle portion with the vehicle.
For example, a door opening/closing system is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-30844. According to the reference, various electrical components in a handle portion are electrically connected to a vehicle by use of a connector and a harness or an electrical signal wire. However, when the electrical parts are electrically connected with the harness or the electrical signal wire at the vehicle side after assembling the handle portion at the vehicle door, electrical connection has to be performed in a space in which the vehicle door was assembled. This may cause increase of the hours need for assembling. Further, the system is provided with the harness. Therefore, it requires considering unpreferable touch between the harness and an adjacent door glass. This may cause increase of hours needed for designing the door placement.
In order to enhance assembling performance of the handle portion at the vehicle door, an outside handle apparatus disclosed in EP Application Publication 1108835 is provided with a handle portion integrated with a connector mechanism. According to the reference, an electrical signal wire at a handle side can be electrically connected with an electrical signal wire at a vehicle side when the handle portion is inserted or linked to the vehicle door. However, in order to achieve the aforementioned electrical connection, the handle portion is required to be a fixed type. This may shadow constrain of versatility.
A need thus exists for providing an improved outside handle apparatus and a connector mechanism, both of which are capable of enhancing assembling performance of the handle portion at the vehicle door without limiting versatility of the handle portion.